SHE SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES BUT HE DIED OF HIS INJURIES, SADLY, AT THE HOSPITAL. THESE 12 MEN NABBED IN A CHILD SEX STING IN WHAT JACKSONVILLE POLICE CALL OPERATION GUARDIAN WERE ALL RECORDED ON VIDEO. IN ANNOUNCING THE ARREST, THE SHERIFF HAD A SOBERING WARNING FOR ALL PARENTS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF INTERNET CHAT ROOMS. HE POINTED TO A FRIGHTENING STATISTIC WHO SAYS ONE CHILD IN A CHATROOM HAS 100% CHANCE OF BEING CONTACTED BY A SEXUAL PREDATOR. ALL 12 MEN ARE NOW IN JAIL. THE SHERIFF SAYS THEY'RE FIRST TIME OFFENDERS. NONE OF THESE 12 HAD PRIORS. SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT THESE ARE THE KIND OF GUYS THAT ARE FLYING UNDER THE RADAR OUT THERE. NOBODY EVEN KNOWS ABOUT THEM. AND NOW WE DO. CHANNEL 4'S KENT JUSTICE JOINS US LIVE WITH MORE ON THE MEN INVOLVED. FROM WHAT WE KNOW, PLANNING FOR THE OPERATION BEGAN IN JANUARY, BUT DETECTIVES EXECUTED THE PLAN APRIL 2ND THROUGH APRIL 6TH. OVER THOSE FIVE DAYS, THAT'S WHEN THE ARRESTS HAPPENED. 12 MEN ARRESTED, ALL OF THEM CHARGED WITH FELONIES, ALL ARRESTED IN ARLINGTON AND ALL OF THEM, WE'RE TOLD, ACCUSED OF SETTING UP MEETINGS TO TRY TO HAVE SEX WITH MINORS. CRIME KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES AND NEITHER SHOULD WE. IN A MULTI-AGENCY OPERATION CALLED THE GUARDIAN, THE JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE SHOWED US VIDEO OF BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF OFFICERS USING FICTITIOUS IDENTITIES AS 1 13 AND 14 YEARS OLD. THEY GO ONLINE AS KIDS AND LET THE PREDATORS COME AFTER THEM. WE HAVE NO HIGHER PRIORITY THAN SAFEGUARDING THE CHILDREN OF JACKSONVILLE. THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THIS AGENCY ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO EFFORTS TO REMOVE CHILD PREDATORS. VIDEO FROM THE OPERATION SHOWS THE 12 MEN ARRESTED, ARRIVING AT A HOME IN ARLINGTON AND LEAVING IN HANDCUFFS. AT LEAST ONE TRIED TO LEAVE TOO SOON AND POLICE TOOK HIM DOWN IN THE YARD. EACH SUSPECT FACES UP TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON IF CONVICTED ON CHARGES, INCLUDING TRAVELING TO MEET AFTER SOLICITING OR SEDUCING OR LURING A CHILD TO COMMIT A SEX ACT. SHERIFF RUTHERFORD SAYS ALL THE AGENCIES INVOLVED BELIEVE TAKING DOWN THESE MEN AND SUSPECTS LIKE THEM IS VITAL TO ANY COMMUNITY ANYWHERE. IT'S A GREAT TEAM EFFORT AND, LOOK, THESE GUYS DON'T CARE ABOUT OBVIOUSLY -- YOU CAN SEE FROM THE BOARD OVER HERE -- THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES. NEITHER SHOULD WE. DEFENSE ATTORNEYS KNOW THESE KIND OF STINGS BECOME POWERFUL TOOLS FOR THE PROSECUTION. IT'S VERY CREDIBLE. IT'S GOING TO BE ALLOWED INTO EVIDENCE IN MOST CASES BECAUSE THE POLICE ARE ALLOWED TO LIE AND YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE AN EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY WHEN YOU'RE COMMITTING A CRIME OR IN A CRIMINAL ACT, SO IT'S VERY LIKELY GOING TO COME INTO EVIDENCE AND BE USED AND CONSIDERED QUITE COMPELLING IF IT GETS TO THE POINT OF A JURY DECIDING IF YOU HAD THE APPROPRIATE INTENTIONS WITH CONTACTING THESE MINORS. AND I ASKED SHERIFF RUTHERFORD WHY SO MANY AGENCIES WERE INVOLVED, IF EVERYONE WAS ARRESTED HERE IN JACKSONVILLE. HE SAID IT'S A BIG OPERATION. THEY HAVE TO GET ALL THEIR DUCKS IN THE ROW IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE A CONVICTION HAPPENS AND THE CHARGES STICK. HE SAID 50 DIFFERENT OPERATIONAL POSITIONS HAVE TO BE FILLED IN AN UNDERCOVER STING LIKE THIS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

A sting called Operation Guardian set up by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and other agencies to lure men looking for sex with juveniles netted 12 arrests, and more are expected, Sheriff John Rutherford announced Friday morning.

Law enforcement personnel from Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Clay and St. Johns County, Gainesville, Daytona Beach and other agencies set up fake social media accounts and posted messages as if they were minors and waited for men to contact them.

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Rutherford said the agents posing as 13- or 14-year-old boys and girls on Instagram and in chat rooms, then used mobile phones to set up meetings at a home in Arlington. He said men came from as far away as New Smyrna Beach and Valdosta, Ga., expecting to meet the teenagers for sex.

"Crime knows no boundaries, and neither should we," Rutherford said, explaining why this activity should concern all of us.

"To parents: I want you to know the experts tell me... if your child’s information is out there, there’s a high, high probability you child will be liked or followed by a sexual predator or offender," Rutherford said. "If they’re in a chat room, there’s almost a 100 percent chance they’ll be contacted by a predator."

Those arrested ranged in age from 19 to 52 and included three active-duty servicemen:

Andrew Adams, 37, of Lake City -- a restaurant worker

Andrew Granados, 27,of Jacksonville -- employed by the U.S. Navy

Isaac Hampton, 19, of Jacksonville -- a temporary laborer

Steven Knaorsky-Kane, 24, of Jacksonville -- unemployed

Adam Knopp, 29, of New Smyrna Beach -- a student

Daniel Mazza, 20, of Jacksonville -- retail worker

Dennis Mehaffie, 37, of Naylor, Ga. -- employed by U.S. Air Force

Richard Mills, 22, of Jacksonville -- employed as a tradesman

Brian Mullis, 26, of Jacksonville -- unemployed

Derick Robinson, 34, of Jacksonville -- self-employed

Gabriel Rodiguez, 23, of Jacksonville -- a reservist in the U.S. Army

Charles Zagorac, 52, of Jacksonville -- a taxi driver

None of the men had prior arrests on sex charges, but they now each face felony charges including accused of use of computer to solicit a child, traveling to meet after using a computer to solicit a child and unlawful use of a communications device.

Some of those arrested claim they went to the house to check on the child's welfare.

"None of these 12 had priors, so it’s very important to realize, these are the kinds of guys flying under the radar. Nobody even knows about them," Rutherford said, adding, "Now we do."

If convicted, each could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.

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